Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto has delivered plenty of highlights in his MLB career. On Saturday, the 37-year-old first baseman added to his stellar resume with a stellar triple play.
The moment came in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians, with Cincinnati in desperate need of some game-changing heroics. Amir Garrett allowed the first two runners in the inning to reach, putting Eddie Rosario on third and Franmil Reyes on first with no outs.
Josh Naylor stepped to the plate with a 2-1 lead and a fantastic opportunity to give Cleveland an even bigger advantage on the scoreboard. He lined the ball down the first-base side, but Votto positioned himself perfectly. The six-time All-Star and 2011 Gold Glove Award recipient then put his veteran instincts on display.
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Votto immediately dove toward first base and tagged Reyes for the second out. When he realized Rosario slid home and was headed to the dugout, unaware of what happened, Votto tossed it over to third base for the 3-5 triple play.
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According to Baseball Almanac, this is the 723rd triple play in MLB history. There were two in the shortened 2020 season and three in 2019.
It’s been a rough few days for Cleveland, twice finding itself on the wrong side of MLB history. On Thursday, Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon no-hit the Indians and missed the perfect game on a ninth-inning HBP.
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